yotalift13

Hi all,

New to the threads but long lover of the ol Toyota Pickups.

Im looking at this pickup here http://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/4151412114.html

I know it looks like piss. But I just want something that will hit the trails. I live in Wisconsin and 4 wheel drive is something I have long lusted after since I drive a boosted BMW.

The questions I have here for the community:

1 The lifter tick. SHould this be something i should be worried about? Is it just that this guy has wrong weight oil in? or is it something i should stay away from? I know the injectors are loud on these vehicles but I just want to know if this is a known issue that can be easily resolved. He's asking $1000 but im going to try and get it for $700.

2 With speaking with the current owner he has told me that the parking break on the vehicle doesnt work (not too worried since I never really use it, just put it into gear when i park) but how much of a PITA is this to fix?

3 he also says that the fuel gauge doesnt work. Im assuming that this is the sending unit not sending the right ohm reading. or the float sticking somewhere along the line. I work at NAPA and can get parts dirty cheap, but I didnt find any parts for a sending unit or anything of the sort. Could I clean off the corrosion off the sending unit and possibly get it going?

Please dont just respond with the usual "this is a piece of ˟˟˟˟". I enjoy doing body work, and plan on making it look amazing. Just questions on the mechanical side of these cars.

Look forward to hearing back from the community!
D.

osv

doing any body work at all on that thing would be a waste of time and money.

trust me, i've been there and done that.

save your money, and get rust-free truck from the southwest, you'll be much further ahead in the long run.

yotalift13

any input on the lifter tick or the fuel gauge?

redbayredneck

Because driving across the country and paying an arm and a leg for a rust free truck is a lot cheaper than buying a rusty truck $700.

To the OP: I would definitely check the frame for rust issues. If the frame is bad, I'd pass and look for another one.

Wouldn't hurt to throw some Lucas or thicker oil in the truck to see if it stops the Lifter tick.

yotalift13

This was what I was thinking. I would have the money to do this, but with as much salt is on the roads up here. Getting a rust free truck for $3000 + gas to go there and back seems like like a lot more than my time, a case of beer, a weekend and some..A lot.. of bodyfiller.

Are lifters just loud normally or no? In my Beemer if the oil is even off 1/4 qt it will tick loud.

Thanks for the quick responses! The yota community is much friendlier than the bimmer guys on bimmerforums.

redbayredneck

The injectors are incredibly loud in the 22RE's, IDK about the V-6's.

The only time I've ever heard my lifters tap in my truck was right after an oil change when its still building up pressure.

osv

you said that you wanted to "make it look amazing"... that isn't going to happen in a weekend, with that level of rust damage.

bodywork supplies have gotten very expensive, and that sort of repair can't be done with just bondo... you need a solid foundation of some sort to attach the bondo to.

look at the rust under the hood... it isn't just the bodywork, doing anything on a rust bucket is going to be a struggle.

yotalift13

I know it will take more than a weekend. And know that it will be extensive. I have a body shop, metal shop, lift, the works at my disposal. And I have a restored 71 chev blazer that was in much worse shape when I got it.

In short, I'm not concerned about the body. Just the mechanics of this old truck. I appreciate the concern there of though. I know a lot of people don't know what is all involved in restoring old rustys.

Thanks!

bbrideau

would not pay 1000 for it thats for sure. even 700 is a little high in my opinion, mind you pricing varies from region to region. the "lifter tick" could just need a valve lash adjustment. Pretty simple to do if u have basic tools and the FSM. The body damage is terrible. u might want to look inside the fender wells up front behind the plastic inner fenders to see if it has gone further than just the fenders. looks like it hit something in the front? i see headlight sagging. bring a rubber mallet with you and tap the frame rails. listen to the sound it makes and if it makes holes. walk away. That rust looks like its eating more than just the body in my opinion. The only thing it has going for it is the low miles.

bbrideau

Rims and tires are also a nice "bonus"

Chaser Johndoe

I paid 1000 for mine with the 22re. Mine didn't have half of the rust you have but then I bought a parts truck for cheap to switch all the panels. If your cab ends up being a rust pit let me know I have a complete rust free cab I would sell for cheap. I have an ex-cab so I can't use it.

On to your issues the lifters prob. just need adjusted. With how bad the truck looks I would fix what needs fixing then drive the piss out of it.

yotalift13

That's what I'm starting to think. Any info on the fuel gage not reading?

Gamefreakgc

Just to clear up a few things, this is a 3VZ-E. You can't adjust the valve lifters, that's the 22RE. Adjusting valves on these trucks is a long and tedious job, not to be taken lightly (Toyota dealers have been known to refuse to do it because of the amount of labor). They use shims which you have to extract and swap for various sizes based on the formula in the FSM (or basic math). But is it possible, since a tool-challeged DIY'er like myself did it a year ago with little difficulty, just a lot of time.

1. The tick is most likely your fuel pressure regulator, it's the saucer-like object on the driver's side fuel rail. If that is not the source of the noise I would be wary since that is your valves for sure.

2. The parking brake system is actually very simple, it's just a cable. Most likely this came loose or rusted out. If you can find replacement parts, not too bad. If you plan on 4 wheeling, you'll want this fixed though! Don't want to slide down a mountain!

3. Could be the dash unit gone bad, or the actual float unit that has gone bad. It's hard to get to on the pickups, you have to either remove the bed (which you might already be doing if you're doing body work) or drop the tank to access. If you are removing the bed, the parking brake fix will be easier as well...

Also check on amount of rust like the others said.

Overall... if you're not afraid of getting dirty and spending some weekend making it trail-worthy and reliable, it's a decent buy.

yotalift13

Any good website to buy parts from? And is is a loud FPR normal for this car?

Just another question as well. Found another 92 pickup with the 3vze motor. But this one has an automatic transmission in it. Less rust but this one's 4 wheel drive is out. How do these trucks actuate?

Gevo

I am still reading through this thread, but had to add my comment about this...

agreed.. this is a great forum, the Audi forums I am trying to use are ridiculous...

yotalift13

Everyone's ˟˟˟˟ doesn't stink on there. And as soon as you ask a question..be prepared to catch hell. Haha

Gevo

Thinking out loud.. It's probably cheaper to fix a 4x4 system than valves/head/engine ...

I would be a little bit more patient if you don't want to end up paying to much to fix one up.

yotalift13

Gotta share my pride and joy. 71 Chev blazer. Built 427. Sitting on 38s.

thefishguy77

iTrader: (1)

It's an old school vs new school mentality on drive train vs body. My old man was old school and every project we got he would pay more attention to the drive train vs body. And it worked awesome for him. I am new school. I could care less about the drive train but I want a straight body. I prefer to do mechanical work (motor swaps, diff swaps, trany's, ect). But I have tried my hand a body work and while I'm not horrible at it I don't have the patience for it. It's too much fill & sand & repeat. Cut and weld grind & repeat. Not my cup of tea.

Body work is an art form and anyone who is good at it I encourage all of us to ask them questions and not criticize them. For if we don't now we will be stuck paying someone shop time to do it for us. And learn nothing from the experience except how to write a big check.

Climbing down from soapbox

BTY awesome blazer

Gevo

yeah, that is a good looking Blazer!
Fishguy, I agree with you... so what would you call someone that cares a lot about both drive train and body.. but only half good at one of them and unfortunately a near perfectionist??